Night of the Red Moon
by M C Pehrson
Summary: Story #65 It's late October at Plum Creek, and Spock and his teenage son James disagree about school. When family and friends gather, fallout from a Halloween prank inspires young James to hit the books.


Jamie stood in the center of the corral, his eyes on Starburst, his hand holding the long lead rope as the filly circled him at a canter. The spotted Appaloosa was approximately six months of age, growing taller and stronger every week. She had weaned fairly easily and taken to the halter and bridle as if she never ran wild in the high country. Spunky but gentle, she trotted over the moment he ended the training and nosed his hands, looking for a treat.

Jamie was feeding her a piece of carrot when he heard the crunch of his father's footsteps in the dried leaves that had blown into the clearing. His happiness faded as he glanced up and saw Spock enter the corral.

"Your foal has made remarkable progress," Father said. Inevitably he added, "It is unfortunate that I cannot say the same about your schoolwork."

Jamie tensed. Holding Starburst by the halter, he stroked her face and gazed into her dark, trusting eyes.

"Look at me," Father said.

With reluctance Jamie turned and noted the subtle signs of displeasure on his father's face. His first weeks of high school had been a disaster.

"If you devoted as much time and effort to your studies as you do to that horse…" Father's voice trailed off ominously.

"I've been trying," Jamie said in defense. "I just can't concentrate. I hate school."

Father gazed at Starburst, and Jamie feared the direction of his thoughts. Quickly he promised, "I'll try harder, really. I'll go study right now."

Giving Starburst a pat, he hurriedly left the corral and ran into the cabin.

Before long, Jamie's school padd lay forgotten on his chest as he stretched out on his bed, staring at the ceiling. With his hands pillowing his head, he relived his summer adventure with Lame Wolf in the hidden valley where wild horses pastured. How he would love to live there beside the placid mountain lake. Not for the first time, he thought of just running away.

An aroma of food roused him from the uneasy daydream. Rising, he ventured into the kitchen area where T'Naisa was cooking dinner. His baby sister Tess toddled toward him, smiling.

"Damie, Damie!"

He scooped her into his arms. Then warily he asked T'Naisa, "Where's Father?"

"Over at the retreat house. We have a family of Vulcans today."

"Yeah," Jamie said, "I saw them." He thought a moment before unburdening his heart. "T'Naisa, please…don't let him take Starburst away."

His halfling stepmother turned from the stove and stared at him in surprise. "Jamie, he would never do that."

"But you should have seen the way he was looking at her. He's angry about my grades. I can't help it; I _want_ to do better. Why doesn't he just put the answers into my head? You know, a meld. He taught me Vulcan that way."

"Yes, it can be done," she agreed, "in certain circumstances. But Jamie, you need to do this for yourself. Learning is more than just accumulating a bunch of facts. It's also about building self-discipline and training your mind. I wish I could help, but you have to look inside yourself and find a reason for wanting to learn."

He sighed. There was only one thing he wanted—to drop out of school at the earliest possible moment and spend the rest of his life in the wilderness. Lame Wolf shared his love of the land, but the Indian managed to score grades high enough to please his guardian, Jim Kirk. Jamie knew there would be no pleasing his own father unless he excelled in all his classes.

When the family gathered for dinner, Spock continued the discussion. "James, I was not finished speaking to you about school. You used to be a good student, but this is the fourth time this term that your teachers have contacted me. You are deficient in every one of your subjects. As for Federation history…"

"Yeah, I know." Jamie glowered at his plate. "It's kind of embarrassing to sit there in front of everyone and hear about your father's exploits."

"Jamie!" T'Naisa said in reproach. "Your father was instrumental in brokering the Klingon Peace Accord. That's an historic fact."

"It is also a fact," Father said, his eyes boring into him, "that you are now on restriction. No socializing of any kind outside the family until your schoolwork shows sufficient improvement. And as for your use of language, the appropriate word is 'yes', not 'yeah'."

With a pang, Jamie thought of Lame Wolf. The Indian was a year younger than him, so for now they did not even attend the same school. Unless Jamie pulled up his grades, he would never see his best friend.

"But Father…"

Spock ignored the plea and turned to his meal.

Jamie's older brother spoke, not unkindly. "You never had any trouble before. All you have to do is study."

 _A fine thing,_ Jamie seethed, _for a prodigy like Simon…violin virtuoso, Yanashite priest in the making._ Despite his Vulcan looks, Jamie thought of himself as an ordinary fellow. The outdoors called to him, not books. And now his father was taking away the only person who shared his fondest dreams.

T'Naisa read the anguish in his eyes. Gently she reminded him, "Jamie, you'll still see Lame Wolf on Saturday. Everyone's coming."

oooo

It was a hazy, unseasonably warm day for late October. T'Beth's family converged on Plum Creek, together with the neighboring Kirks, and as evening approached, the little cabin was overcrowded. Children spilled out into the clearing to run and play while the men readied a fire pit near the creek. When darkness fell, everyone came outside and gathered around the leaping flames. Hot dogs and "marsh melons" were roasted and devoured, along with a multitude tasty of side dishes.

After the meal, the young people begged for stories about the old days. Jim Kirk started off speaking of adventures on the starship _Enterprise_. His wife Antonia recounted the tale of Jim Tiber, the mysterious stranger she met on horseback, not far from Plum Creek—a stranger who turned out to be James Tiberius Kirk. Spock talked about life on Vulcan with the miracle-working Shiav. T'Beth came next, with a firsthand tale of a space battle and crash-landing on a hostile planet. Her husband Aaron gave an eyewitness account of the earthquake that collapsed Spock's house and destroyed San Francisco. Simon spoke of being kidnapped by wicked priests of Gol and left to die in a scorching Vulcan desert.

Then everyone turned to T'Naisa and urged her to tell a story. Holding Tess close, she told of a young woman who admired the commandant of Starfleet Academy from afar, a woman who loved children but knew she would never be able to have any of her own. In the end, the commandant became her husband, and not only did she have his children to love, but also a miracle of her own named Tess.

The youngest children began to yawn. Tess, Louis Pascal, and Tru Kirk went indoors with the adults. Bethany and Rose Ellen Pascal remained behind with Jamie and Lame Wolf. Between the trees, an autumn moon loomed large and red from the smoke of a distant forest fire. Here on Plum Creek, the woods were damp from a recent rain, so a campfire posed no danger. Jamie added more wood to the blaze. As sparks soared into the air, he cast a conspiratorial glance at Lame Wolf. Earlier in the day, they had planned a Halloween surprise for the girls.

Now he said, "Lame Wolf, is it true? Was your grandfather some sort of medicine man? Did he really know how to summon spirits?"

The Indian youth nodded solemnly. "White Elk knew the old ways. Sometimes, when the Shoshone gathered, I would see him chant. It is said that the spirits came."

Jamie stifled a smile as Bethany and Rose Ellen huddled together, wide-eyed.

"Spirits?" Rose Ellen said apprehensively.

"Try it," Jamie urged his friend. "Try the chant. I bet there are a lot of old spirits wandering around in these woods."

Lame Wolf pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it into the fire. Bethany and Rose Ellen jumped as an orange cloud of sparkles swirled into the air and vanished.

Jamie's dog began to growl. Drawing Dusty close, he reassured him with a pat. "It's okay, boy. It's okay."

Lame Wolf gathered a pinch of damp earth, rubbed it between his fingertips, and made two long streaks down his cheeks. He was preparing to chant when Bethany reached under her jacket and pulled out a little book.

"Here!" she said, her amber eyes shining eerily. "Summon her!"

"What's that?" Jamie asked, startled by the change in his carefully prepared script.

Bethany handed him the book. "It's a diary—your sister Teresa's."

Jamie felt something clutch at his heart. He stared at the flowery pink cover. "Where did you get this?"

"T'Naisa sent me into her bedroom for these blankets we're sitting on. I saw a box in the closet. The diary was right on top."

Jamie and Lame Wolf had set out to frighten the girls, but now Jamie was getting scared. _Teresa's diary!_ Bethany had no business taking it. Why, if his father found out…

Dusty bristled up and began to whimper. Jamie tore his attention from the diary in his hands. Lame Wolf sat staring into the flames, his arms outstretched. A strange, rhythmic chant came from deep in his throat.

Suddenly, Lame Wolf fell silent. Trancelike, he said, "She is here…"

A chill swept over Jamie and he tried to shake it off. After all, this was only a joke. They had planned the whole thing together.

Bethany's voice quavered. "Who, Lame Wolf? Who's here?"

Lame Wolf spoke again. "I see a girl…with hair like autumn wheat."

Jamie's pulse raced. The spirit was supposed to be a witch…an old, ugly crone. Not a girl…not a blonde-haired girl like his slain sister.

"She gives her name," Lame Wolf intoned. "Resa. Her name is Resa."

 _Jamie's nickname for his sister!_ He broke out in goose bumps. Was it really Teresa? Did Lame Wolf see her? He wanted so badly to believe. With a break in his voice, he called out, "Resa! It's me, Jamie!"

Lame Wolf spoke sadly. "She is lonely. 'Come', she says, 'come here, Jamie. I miss you…'"

Gripping the diary, Jamie shivered. Lame Wolf came out of his trance. Bethany was crying. Together with Rose Ellen, she stumbled to her feet and ran for the cabin.

Coming to his senses, Jamie jumped up and chased after them. "Wait!" he yelled. They slowed down and he caught up with them near the porch. "Don't tell," he warned in a low, fierce voice. "If you tell, Father will find out about the diary. There'll be trouble. And besides," he added, "that stuff at the campfire was all fake. A put-on."

The girls calmed down. After they went into the cabin, Jamie turned on Lame Wolf, who had taken a moment to wash the dirt from his face and now stood beside him. With his free hand clenching, he said, "What's the big idea, using my dead sister like that!"

Lame Wolf laughed. "It was only to scare the girls. And we did."

Jamie did not see anything funny about it. Icy tendrils were sinking deep into his soul, and he could not seem to stop shivering. Thrusting the diary under his jacket, he opened the cabin door. The tiny living room was crowded with people, but he felt terrified and alone.

Father looked at him and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," he quickly answered, teeth clenched to keep them from chattering.

"Where is Lame Wolf?" Father questioned.

The Indian walked in. He had composed himself, and Spock seemed satisfied that all was well.

But all was not well with Jamie. Long after the Kirks went home and T'Beth's family settled into rooms at the retreat house, he lay in his bedroom with the light on. There had been no opportunity to return his sister's diary. The frigid terror from the séance lingered as he thumbed through its pages. Teresa spoke of her love for God and her interest in the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, who worked with troubled girls…girls, as she put it, "who don't have the wonderful kind of family I have". On another day she wrote about famous people "helping the poor children with their problems, giving them a good home". Tears came to his eyes as he read about "the orphaned Vulcan, Sobek, that Daddy has brought home to live with us. _I'm so glad"._ Little did she know that Sobek would soon turn a murderous rage on her and their mother.

It was a long, sleepless night, but at last morning came and he heard the family gathering for breakfast. Someone tapped at his door and he quickly hid the diary under his pillow.

Simon came in, took one glance at him and declared, "You look terrible."

"I'm sick," Jamie said for the first time in ten years. Since his healing on Vulcan, he had enjoyed perfect health. Even now, he knew there was nothing wrong with his body. This sickness was soul-deep.

"I'll tell Father." Simon turned and left the room.

A few moments later, Spock paid Jamie a visit. Father's eyebrow lifted as he leaned over, felt his face for signs of fever, and found none.

"I'm so cold," Jamie said, shaken with yet another chill. As the terror came at him waves, he grabbed his father's warm, steady hand and admitted, "Something bad happened…last night…at the campfire. It won't leave me alone."

Father sat down beside him on the bed, and Jamie poured out as much of the story as he could, without mentioning the diary or Lame Wolf's part in the affair. "It was just for fun, that's all. But something went wrong. It's like something evil is breathing down my neck."

Father looked displeased. "James. You know better than to participate in any form of séance."

It was true; he had been cautioned against even the use of Ouija boards. "But it was just for _fun_ ," he repeated, as if that might somehow excuse him. "I never expected anything like this to happen. What's wrong with me?"

Holding onto his patience, Spock drew a deep breath and said, "It is simple, James. Our sacred writings warn against trying to summon spirits. There are always evil entities roaming about, eager to impersonate our loved ones, or reveal so-called 'hidden truths' in order to deceive us. They await only an invitation, an opening. Sometimes, as in your case, they linger and try to attach themselves. In the worst cases, they actually enter and possess a soul. On Vulcan, the evil one is called the Eater of Souls."

"Then this has nothing to do with Teresa."

"You sense evil and it frightens you. Teresa and your mother were not evil; they are safely in God's care, where there is nothing to fear."

Jamie glanced across the room at an old family photograph that included Teresa and his mother. He realized that he was no longer shivering and sighed in relief. "I feel better now. Just talking about it helped."

After Father lectured him a bit more, he got up and ate breakfast. There was still time to join T'Beth and her children for Mass in Pinehaven, after which he further unburdened himself in confession. He spoke to old Father O'Day about more than the campfire séance. Last night, in the pages of his sister's diary, he had found the inspiration he needed to take school seriously. Who were those people she had mentioned? St. John Bosco, Father Flanagan of Boy's Town, and Cal Farley. He was going to read more about them and how they helped troubled boys like Sobek turn their lives around. He would never forget the way Jim Kirk helped him after Mom and Teresa died, and now Jim had become Lame Wolf's guardian. His own sister T'Beth had adopted Rose Ellen. The world was full of young people in need of love and security and guidance.

Soon after Jamie got home, there was an opportunity to return Teresa's diary to the box in his parents' closet. His mind brimmed with images of a remote ranch where boys would share a simple faith-based life while working in harmony with nature. But in order to realize that dream, he would need a good education. For the first time in a long while, he felt so excited about school that he got out his padd and began to study.

oooo

"Go, girl, go!" Jamie held tight to the long lead rope, slowly turning as he watched Starburst run circles around him in the corral.

In her excitement, the filly kicked up her heels. A chilly gust of wind blew her mane and whipped at her long, silky white tail. Overhead, a V-shaped flight of geese were honking their way southward. Deeply absorbed by it all, Jamie did not notice the approaching footsteps. Suddenly his father was standing at the corral.

Jamie laughed as Starburst gave another kick. "Father, did you see that?"

He pulled the young horse in, patted her, and unhooked the lead. Starburst nudged him with her soft nose as he went over to the fence and leaned against it.

"James," Father said. "I want to talk to you about your schoolwork."

The old, reflexive guilt tugged at Jamie's heart. Then remembering, he smiled. "Are you surprised?"

"Stunned."

Jamie's smile broadened.

"All A's and one B." Father's eyes questioned him, but Jamie was not ready to reveal the future hope motivating him. Spock was brilliant in so many ways—an intellectual giant with rather rigid ideas about acceptable careers. How could a fifteen-year-old argue with someone like that? For now, this new dream was too fresh, too personal, to expose it to paternal criticism.

"I'm proud of the effort you have made," Father said. "As promised, you are off restriction...but keep in mind that you must now maintain the effort."

A twinge of annoyance dampened Jamie's pleasure, and his smile faded. There had been no need for his father to remind him. "Yes, sir," he replied. "Of course."

Now, perhaps Spock expected him to drop everything and dash for the phone. But holding himself in check, Jamie settled Starburst in her stall for the evening and went indoors to study. There would be time enough later to call his friend and share their secrets…all the time in the world.

oooOOooo


End file.
